Little Ghost Of The Dojo
by Kaizoku no Kazoku
Summary: Years ago, a little genin boy was fatally injured on a mission. Now he's a ghost who haunts the academy dojo waiting to be reunited with his sensei and freed from his prison. Can Naruto help him? No pairings
1. The Child Who Weeps In The Night

Title: Little Ghost Of The Dojo

Summary: Years ago, a little genin boy was fatally injured on a mission. Now he's a ghost who haunts the academy dojo waiting to be reunited with his sensei and freed from his prison. Can Naruto help him?

I dedicate this story to my friend **Roving Otter**, without whom, I would not have gotten as far as I did in this story. Go check out her Gai/Lee fanfics, they're awesome!

Also I'd like to dedicate this story to **d00mfuzzball** too. She helped me a lot on this first chapter when I starting writing this story about a year or so ago. Please check out her Naruto fics, I guarantee you'll love them!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto-san does. But then, you knew that already

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"Gai-sensei... Please don't... forget... me..." the fatally injured boy of twelve gasped out as he turned his head to face his sensei.

Gai-sensei hugged Lee close to him, in his final moments of life. Having been fatally injured in a mission while protecting his teammates, Lee hadn't wanted to spend his last moments of life in the hospital. Instead, he'd asked Gai to take him to a dojo nearby that was used by the academy. He would have preferred to be out by the old log that had taken so much abuse when he was younger, but the bottom had fallen out of the sky earlier that day, and it was pouring.

"I could never, and -will- never forget you Lee..." Gai's tear thick voice choked out as he hugged the boy tighter to him, heedless of the blood starting to soak through his clothes. Just before Lee's life flame completely burned out, Gai whispered, "I love you, Lee... I love you..."

-----///-----

Eighteen year old Naruto had heard the stories, both about the brave little soul who'd died for his teammates as a genin several years back, and the one about the unseen child weeping in the wee hours of the morning in the dojo known only as The Ghost Of The Dojo. He'd even heard the sounds himself once, though they had stopped when he'd unwittingly made a slight noise.

As frightened of ghosts as he was, he was determined to find out what or who was making the sounds. He had a sneaking suspicion that this ghost that noone had yet seen, yet everyone claimed to have heard, was the same child who'd died for his teammates years ago. Others had had the same suspicions, but never bothered to check them out for themselves as far as he knew anyway. Taking a blanket, a bento, and a backpack of supplies, he crept into the dojo long after everyone had left for the day. There really wasn't much to do there when you're trying not to make a sound, however. So for the most part, he sat in a corner, and waited.

And waited.

And waited, and waited... and waited some more.

When he got hungry, he pulled his blanket over himself, then quietly tucked into his bento. After his meal, it wasn't long before he started feeling sleepy. He tried his best to keep his eyes peeled to see this Dojo Ghost. Maybe he could talk to it. Thinking about what they'd talk about, his eyes closed of their own accord.

-----///-----

Naruto slowly opened his eyes...

To meet big, round ones staring right back at him.

Naruto screamed and slammed up against the wall he was leaning on. The eyes disappeared and Naruto was once again alone.

Naruto spoke quietly and hesitantly. "W- who a-are you?"

Nothing.

A little louder and slightly more confident. "Are you the Dojo Ghost?"

Nothing again.

"I won't hurt you. I'm sorry I screamed." Naruto doubted anything he could do would hurt a ghost anyway.

Minutes passed, and just as Naruto started to think that he'd never see them again, the eyes and only the eyes appeared.

Naruto tried to quell his fear. He had to remember that this ghost was only a child, and that he might be lonely. "H- hi... My name is Uzumaki Naruto..." he said, unable to think of anything else.

The eyes blinked but didn't otherwise move.

"Can I see the rest of you?" Naruto asked, his fear leaving little by little.

Ever so slowly, a body came into view until Naruto could see the little boy floating in midair. The boy wore Chinese clothing with the exception of his ninja shoes and he sported a flipped haircut that framed his forehead protector. The look on his face was one of sadness and utter despair. Tearstains ran down his cheeks where he'd been crying. Naruto wondered what had made the little boy so sad.

Naruto took a moment to link the face to the name, then blurted out, "Your name is Rock Lee, isn't it? Good to meet you!" Naruto smiled brightly. Then his smile faded. "Why are you crying?" It hurt him to see a child crying, even if this child was a ghost.

"I miss my sensei, and I can't get out to see how he's doing..." Ghost Lee spoke quietly, fresh tears flowing down his cheeks. "I'm trapped in this dojo..." He wiped at his eyes. "I've been trying to get out ever since I realized I'd passed on to the afterlife."

Naruto wondered why the little ghost boy couldn't leave. Then he realized that since he'd died here, he was bound to the dojo, and therefore, unable to escape. He'd probably have to haunt the dojo forever unless his sensei could be brought here to somehow release him from his bonds.

Naruto put his hand to his chin and thought for a moment. "Hmm, maybe I could bring him to you. I can get him to come to the dojo, you'll be able to see him and you'll both be happy."

"Really?" Lee clasped his hands together with fresh tears in his eyes. "You'd do that for me?"

"Sure, why not?" Naruto grinned again. "It'd make you happy wouldn't it?"

"Yes!" Lee exclaimed happily. "It would make me very happy!"

Naruto beamed. "Then I'll do it! I'm always happy to help out a little kid."

"I'm not a little kid." Lee muttered, folding his arms.

"You are to me!" Naruto laughed, as he began to pick up his things.

"You're going to leave now?" Lee asked worriedly. "It's still the middle of the night."

"You want to see your sensei, don't you?" Naruto asked, puzzled as to why the younger boy didn't want him to leave.

"Well yes, I do," Lee told him, "But he'd be asleep by now, and..." Lee averted his eyes.

Naruto understood. The little boy was lonely. Probably hadn't had anyone to talk to in years. A big grin slowly lit up Naruto's face."I'll stay with you until morning, then I'll go find your sensei and bring him here."

"Thank you so much!" Lee put his ghostly arms around the orange-clad ninja and hugged as much as a ghost could. "I can't repay you in any kind of way, but know that I am grateful."

"No problem, you wouldn't have to repay me anyway! I'm happy to help!" Naruto said as he sort of put his arms around the little ghost boy. It was awkward, as it felt as though there was barely a presence there.

Lee looked up at Naruto who was nearly two heads taller than he was. "Thank you..." he whispered.

-----///-----

The next day, a sleepy but determined Naruto went to the library to look up information on Rock Lee. It wasn't too hard to find, and he set about reading.

He discovered a lot of things about Lee, including the boy's ninjutsu and genjutsu disability that had very nearly prevented him from becoming a ninja at all. He learned that Lee had not long graduated from the academy when the fatal mission had taken place. He learned Lee's teammates names, and the one piece of infomation that he sought from all the rest.

The name of his former sensei: Maito Gai.

He then looked up info on Maito Gai. Finding a wealth of information on the man, the one bit of info that stuck out was that, apparently, Lee had been his favorite student, and he'd taken it extremely hard when he'd died. So hard in fact, that it wasn't long after Lee had died, that Gai had given up teaching altogether and become a recluse.

With a name, he could look up this Maito Gai in the Konoha directory, track him down, and convince him to come with him to the dojo where he could be reunited with his favorite student and somehow free Lee from being forever doomed to haunt the dojo.

It was so simple, it was almost too simple.

Naruto smiled as he went to check out both books. Now he could go home and take a nap, then look up Gai when he woke up. Because, if there was one thing he was, it was dead tired.


	2. Getting Sakura's Help

**If you like this story so far, Please review and let me know what you think. Even if you don't like it, please review anyway as long as it's not a flame. Thank you :-)**

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The sound of beeping entered his brain. The incessant sound grew louder and louder until he reached out and shut off the alarm clock. Burrowing under the blankets, he went back to sleep.

-----///-----

The next thing Naruto knew, it was 5:30 in the evening and he was rushing to change out of his bedclothes. He had to find Maito Gai. He didn't have a Konoha directory since he never thought he'd have to use one, but Sakura did. He brushed his teeth, made a quick dinner of instant ramen, then raced to her residence.

As she let him in the door of her apartment, he started telling her about the ghost child and what all they'd talked about. He sat on the arm of her sofa as he finished. "And he's such a sweet little boy, I have to help him."

Sakura was skeptical. She, like Naruto, had heard the stories of the Dojo Ghost, but unlike a lot of people, hadn't really believed them. "You're telling me that there's really a ghost in the dojo."

"Yeah!"

"And that you've actually talked to him."

"Yes!!"

Sakura looked skeptically at Naruto for a short moment. Naruto wouldn't be playing an elaborate prank, would he? No. He stopped doing things like that many years ago. And even then, he wouldn't say anything like this unless it was for real. She sighed. "I'm going to have to see this for myself. But before we go, can I see the book on his sensei?"

Naruto handed her the book.

She leafed through it and read for a while. After some time had passed, she said, "But if he's in self-imposed seclusion now," Sakura said as she looked through the book. "then he may no longer reside in Konoha, or at the very least, not be listed. Come to think of it, though, I think I may have seen him around a few times before. He certainly looks at least vaguely familiar."

"When was the most recent time you've seen him?" Naruto asked eagerly as he leaned toward Sakura.

"Oh, I'm afraid it was quite some time ago. Like about a year or more." Sakura hated to break the bad news to Naruto. "I'm not even sure if it _was_ him. I didn't get a good look at him when I saw him last."

"Do you remember _where_ you saw him?" Naruto pressed. He needed answers to help the boy.

"I think it was near one of the marketplaces. That one near Ichiraku, I think." She said as she racked her brain. Then she turned to him with a concerned look on her face. "You know, if this ghost really does exist, you really shouldn't get his hopes up, at least, not until you know you can locate his sensei. And even if you do locate him, who's to say that you could even get him to come back to the dojo to see the boy. After all, he became a recluse because of that little boy's death. He may not even know he exists as a ghost now."

"I have to help them." Naruto balled his hands into fists at his sides. "Especially that little boy."

"I understand." Sakura said, taking his hand in hers. "You're going to meet up with him again tonight, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then I'll go with you." Sakura said, closing the book and standing. "Maybe we can get some more information that will help us in our search. Let me grab a few things and we can go."

-----///-----

"Lee?" Naruto raised his voice in the empty dojo, loud enough to be heard. "LEE?"

The familiar pair of eyes appeared in front of Naruto. Then they slid over to Sakura. Lee's whole body materialized into view. Sakura gasped as the ghost appeared right before her eyes. Lee smiled shyly at Sakura and gave her a little wave.

"Hi, my name is Rock Lee. What's your name?" Lee asked as he floated in front of Sakura. She was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen.

"My name is... Haruno Sakura." Sakura replied wide-eyed. She stuck out her hand and slowly moved it through the boy's ghostly form. She could feel just the barest of presence there. "It's--It's nice to meet you... I've heard about you."

Then, because she was curious about it, she asked, "How'd you get your hair to flip like that? I can't get mine to do that."

"It just flipped naturally for some reason after I cut it." Lee told her as he folded his legs in front of him. "I'm tired of it now though. I want a haircut like Gai-sensei's."

"I think I like it better this way though." Sakura told him, smiling as she got used to the presence of a ghost.

"Really? Thank you!" Lee smiled shyly, stroking his hair. The ends flipped outward again. "Still, I wonder how I would look with Gai-sensei's haircut..."

"Speaking of Gai-sensei," Naruto cut in as he walked to a corner to sit down. Lee and Sakura followed. "We need to ask you some things."

"Whatever you want to ask me, I will try my best to answer." Lee replied as he floated along with them.

"Do you have any info that might help us locate your sensei?" Sakura asked Lee gently. She then took out, and flipped through the book to let Lee read about what had happened to Gai after Lee had died.

"He went into seclusion after I died?" Lee asked with a sick look about his face. But then, Lee _had_ been his favorite student. But until now, he didn't realize how much Gai-sensei had cherished him. "Oh, Gai-sensei..."

"I--I've got to get out of here..." Lee said on the verge of panic. "I have to find my sensei!" Lee flew straight for one of the open doorways... And crashed headlong into an invisible barrier. He tried again and again to get out of the dojo, but with the same result. Naruto remembered Lee saying that he wasn't able to leave the dojo, this must be what he meant.

"Lee!" Sakura blurted out with concern. "Please calm down. We'll be able to find your sensei for you soon. But first, we need for you to give us any info that might help us pinpoint his current location."

Lee took deep breaths to try to calm down. At last, he said, "Well, I don't know how I can help you... But I know two people who probably could help. Their names are Hatake Kakashi-san and Hyuuga Neji. Kakashi-san is a sensei who was Gai-sensei's eternal rival. He has dogs who could probably help you. Hyuuga Neji is my former teammate. He has the byakugan and can see another person's chakra network. He may have memorized Gai-sensei's chakra signature and can help you find him."

"We know them!" Naruto said, turning to look at Sakura, then turning back to Lee. "Kakashi was our sensei. We graduated from under him about a year ago. And I fought Neji in the chuunin exams. We'll find Gai in no time!"

Tears made their way down Lee's face again. This time though, they were tears of joy. "Thank you so much for helping me."

"No problem!" Naruto told him. "I'm more than happy to help."

-----///-----

As Naruto and Sakura left the dojo late that night, they both felt a little closer to finding out the whereabouts of Lee's former sensei. They'd have a talk with their former sensei Kakashi first thing in the morning. Maybe he'd seen Gai recently, and his hounds could track him down.

Naruto knew Hyuuga Neji from the chuunin exams when he fought him and won. Neji was the quiet, brooding type and didn't talk much about anything. He knew that Lee had saved Neji and Tenten's lives at the expense of his own, but had never needed to pry into their business until now. After gathering info from Kakashi in the morning, they'd go to see Neji.

Naruto walked Sakura to her apartment, waited until she'd let herself in, then walked the short trek back to his place. His mind rewinded back through the day's events as he fixed himself a late night snack, took a short shower, then put back on his bedclothes.

Thoughts of how he'd be able to help Lee ran through his head as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	3. The Other Recruits: Kakashi & Neji

I forgot to mention in my last chapter that **Roving Otter** has a beautiful story on her profile called A Face In The Clouds. It's a very well written Shikamaru/Gaara story. Even if you don't think you'll like this pairing, you will when you read this story :-)

**d00mfuzzball** wrote a really good one called The Rain Wet Road that you should also check out. It's a Kankurou/Lee one-shot, and it's beautiful :-)

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Kakashi was drinking coffee and reading the morning news when he heard a knock on the door. Answering it, he was surprised to see Naruto and Sakura.

"Morning. What brings you two here so early?" he asked in his laid-back, almost bored tone.

"Morning!" Naruto exclaimed in his perpetually loud voice. Getting right to the point, he said, "You know Maito Gai, right?"

"Yes." Kakashi said, used to Naruto being so loud, even this early in the morning.

"Well," began Sakura. "We really need to talk to you about him. Can we come in?"

"Sure." He moved aside to let them in. Closing the door, he asked them, "So what's all this about? I haven't heard from Gai in years. Not since shortly after his student Rock Lee died seven years ago." He sat and gestured for them to do the same.

"You haven't?" Naruto blanched as he sat down at the table. "We really need to track him down."

"What for?" Kakashi asked surprised as he got up to fetch two more mugs from the cupboard. "He went into seclusion after that boy died. What could you possibly want with him?"

"Well, it's actually concerning Lee." Sakura told her former sensei.

Now Kakashi's interest was piqued. As he poured coffee into the mugs, he asked, "What do you mean? Lee passed away a long time ago. How does this concern him?"

"Well..." Naruto began as he accepted a mug from Kakashi, "You know story about the Dojo Ghost? And that the ghost is a weeping child?"

Kakashi's visible eye widened as he sat back down after refilling his own mug. "Don't tell me that that story is true."

Sakura took a sip from her own mug. "I didn't believe it myself, but the ghost is real, and that's not the only thing. That ghost is Rock Lee himself."

"Lee??" Kakashi asked, his tone no longer bored or laid-back. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!!" Naruto exclaimed. "We even talked to him! He's been haunting the dojo all this time, trapped in there since he died. He wants to be reunited with his sensei, but he can't get out. We have to help him!"

"Well, my hounds could probably help." Kakashi offered. "That is, if they can remember Gai's scent. If they can recall that, they'd be able to track him down, especially if he's been out and about recently."

"YES!!" Sakura and Naruto shouted in unison. Naruto said, "Sakura had said something about seeing Gai in the past, but it's been a while back since she saw him last, and she wasn't sure if it really was him. I hope it was him, I promised Lee that I would bring him his sensei."

"I'm sure that between the three of us, and with the help of Pakkun and my other ninja hounds, we'll be able to find him."

"Well, Lee also told us to talk to his former teammate, Hyuuga Neji." Sakura explained, as she drained the last of the coffee in her mug. "He may also be crucial to helping us find Gai."

"I have to warn you. Neji's rarely in the mood for conversation." Kakashi said as he stood and put his empty mug into the sink. It was amazing how he'd managed to drink his entire cup of coffee and Naruto and Sakura hadn't seen how he'd done it with the ever-present mask on his face. "He may be closed off and not want to talk to you, especially about Lee."

Sakura looked thoughtful. "Well, the worst he could do is refuse to speak to us."

"I have to agree with you on that." Kakashi murmured as he sat back down. "I'll go with you. If he gives you trouble, maybe I can convince him to help you."

-----///-----

Hyuuga Neji tried to sleep.

It was a rare day that he didn't have a mission or training or whatever to do, and he wanted to savour it, enjoy it. However, thoughts of Lee popped into his head unbidden. Lee had been on his mind a lot lately for some odd reason and he felt the familiar pangs of guilt whenever he thought about his long deceased teammate.

--/--

The morning before Lee's demise, he and Lee had had an argument that had turned very, very ugly. They had even come to blows, and in the end, Neji had said some very hurtful things to Lee. Things that, at the time, he'd refused to take back. Things that had left Lee in bitter tears. They'd gone on the mission later that day, still angry with each other. Little did Neji know at the time that he'd never see Lee alive again after that day.

He sighed as his mind rewound back some more, burying his face in his hands.

After Lee's fatal injury, backup had arrived, some nin taking care of what was left of the enemy, and others whisking Neji and Tenten off to the hospital. Gai refused to let go of Lee, saying instead that he'd take him. Later, that day, after Neji and Tenten were released, they found Gai in the academy dojo, still cradling Lee's now lifeless body. Gai had explained to them that Lee hadn't wanted to die in the hospital, instead choosing the dojo where he'd practiced so much to be a ninja as a small child.

Now Neji could no longer tell Lee he was sorry for that terrible argument. Could no longer take back the hurtful things he'd said to Lee. Now Neji could no longer even tell Lee goodbye. He waited until such time when there wasn't another soul around...

And he'd wept bitterly for one of the very few times of his life.

--/--

Hyuuga Neji tried to sleep. But sleep was slow in coming.

-----///-----

A little later that morning, long after Neji had given up on getting more sleep, his doorbell rang, then a sharp knock sounded. Growling angrily under his breath, he put on his bathrobe and went to answer it.

He opened the door a crack. It was Naruto. "Yes?" he spoke in a neutral tone, laced with a bit of annoyance. He'd just see what he wanted this early in the morning, send him away, then go see about some light training to take his mind off of Lee.

"Hi Neji!" Naruto blurted in a loud voice that made Neji cringe. "We need your help!"

"My help with what?" Neji's annoyance was growing.

"We need help in locating your former sensei, Maito Gai!"

Neji took a deep breath to calm his ever growing annoyance. "And _why_ do you need to locate my former sensei?"

"You know about the Dojo Ghost, right?" Naruto asked him. Neji didn't answer, just crossed his arms and tilted his head, pursing his lips.

Naruto continued. "That ghost is your former teammate, Rock Lee!"

Neji gave Naruto a blank look for a moment, then abruptly slammed the door, or at least he would have had Naruto not jammed his foot in it. "Wait Neji, hear me out!"

"Get your foot out of my door." Neji ground out. "Now."

"It _is_ Lee, Neji!"

"That's a joke that I can't even laugh at. Get your foot out of my door." Neji repeated. He just knew Naruto was playing a sick prank on him, and at this time of morning! The nerve of him!

"Wait Neji!" Sakura shouted as she appeared in the doorway with Naruto, quickly followed by Kakashi. "It's not a joke." she said in a serious tone, causing Neji to stop crushing Naruto's foot with the door. She bopped Naruto upside the head. "'Don't interfere', you said, 'I can handle this' you said!"

"Ow!" Naruto blurted, holding his head.

The door opened wider. "So you two are in on this too? I have to say, I'm extremely disappointed."

"Neji, I'm afraid that what she's saying is true." Kakashi said calmly in his laid-back tone. "I had a look for myself before we came here. The ghost in the dojo _is_ your former teammate, Rock Lee."

Neji knew that Sakura and especially Kakashi wouldn't be playing a cruel joke on him. Maybe they were telling the truth. "Lee... Lee's the ghost?" He asked quietly.

Kakashi and Sakura nodded.

"But if he's a ghost, why hasn't he come here to me?" Neji asked incredulously.

Sakura answered this time. "He's imprisoned in the dojo. He can't get out to see anyone."

Neji said nothing for a moment. Then he gestured for them to come in. If Lee was a ghost, he needed to talk with him. "Wait here while I get dressed. I'm coming with you."


	4. Closure For Neji

**Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I'm still not quite happy with this chapter. Neji may be a bit OOC, but I couldn't figure out any other way to write what he does and says in this chapter. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this long-awaited chapter. Please review to let me know how I did with this chapter.  


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Neji could hardly believe his eyes, and resisted the urge to rub at them. He said nothing for a long moment, just stared, looking remorseful. Then, "... Lee?..."

"Neji..." Lee breathed as he stared back. Neji had changed a lot over time. He was a lot taller, and looked far more of the adult he was now than the child he'd been since Lee had last seen him. He now wore the Hyuuga clothes which indicated that he'd been accepted by the main house of the Hyuuga Clan. A pang of sadness lanced through his heart. Neji had grown and changed, and here Lee was, still the same as he was seven years ago. Because he'd died, time had marched on without him. "I've missed you and Tenten..."

Grateful that Kakashi and the others had decided to give him some alone time with Lee, Neji sat in the seiza position in front of him. Lee floated down into the same position. "Lee..." Neji reached out with his hand in the same manner Sakura had, and moved it through Lee's form. He then withdrew his hand. "Lee..." He paused for a second then bowed down; his hands on the floor in front of him, face hidden. "I... I deeply apologize from the bottom of my heart for the hurtful things I said to you that day, seven years ago... Even though I was angry with you, I should never have said those things to someone who was one of my best friends... I'm sorry... Please forgive me..."

Touched by Neji's heartfelt apology, tears streamed down Lee's face. After a moment, he lay his hand on Neji's shoulder. "Neji?... Neji, please look at me."

When Neji rose back up into a sitting position, Lee continued. "Neji? I already have forgiven you... I forgave you while we were working on the mission, I just never got a chance to tell you... I'm sorry that I couldn't let you know before I died..."

Now it was Neji's turn to shed tears. Lee had never been one to hold grudges, or even hold onto anger long. Of course Lee would have forgiven him, long before Neji'd even thought about apologizing, all those years ago. That was just the kind of person Lee was. Lee hadn't changed in all these seven years, but that was a good thing. Neji smiled a small half-smile as he dried his eyes. "I see you haven't changed much."

At Lee's saddened look, Neji continued, "You're still the kind, caring person you always were. I... I hope you didn't think I was too much of a jerk back then. I was pretty mean to you after all."

Lee tilted his head and smiled. "No... you weren't a jerk. That was just how you were back then." Lee paused for a second, then began again. "I may not have changed much, but you certainly have. You look nice in your Hyuuga Clan clothes too. You always have been a genius, I'm glad that they finally recognized your potential."

"Me too." Neji said quietly, folding his hands in his lap. "It would have been nice to see what you were capable of. You had a lot of potential yourself."

"All I did was work hard..." Lee started.

"But I believe that that hard work would have paid off eventually had you lived." Neji said honestly. Then he looked at Lee again, "I would have liked to have seen that."

Tears pricked at Lee's eyes again. That was the kindest thing Neji had ever said to him. "Thank you Neji..." he whispered.

After several long moments, Lee turned his head to gaze outside. Wistfully, he said, "I wish I could get out of here... It's such a beautiful day... And I've been in this dojo for so long... I want out."

Neji followed Lee's gaze. "You can't leave the dojo because you're bound to it. I think that only the person closest to you can release you from your bond."

"I always thought I'd be an angel or something like that when I died." Lee said turning to face Neji again. "I never thought I'd be a ghost, prisoner to a dojo." he said, an edge of bitterness to his voice.

"But a dojo does fit your hardworking persona." Neji told Lee. "Who's to say you wouldn't still be stuck in a dojo even if you'd died elsewhere?"

Lee had never thought about that.

About that time, the others filed in, effectively ending their conversation.

"We have everyone we need now." Naruto said looking at the others. "Now it's just a matter of finding Gai, then convincing him to visit the dojo."

"Which may not be easy." Lee said rising into the air again. "He hasn't been here since I died."

"Gai probably hasn't come here anymore because since this is where you passed on, it's too painful to come here." Neji said sympathetically climbing to his feet again. "But if he knew he could still see you, I know he'd come running."

"I'm sorry for making all of you do all this for me" Lee said apologetically. "If I could only leave..."

"We don't mind helping you, Lee." Sakura smiled at him, putting her hand on his shoulder, feeling that barely there presence. "We're your friends. Friends help each other out."

Lee smiled back. It was good to have friends like these.


End file.
